Main Point:

Scientists have reported the promising results of panobinostat along with cisplatin against mesothelioma tumor cells.

Published in:

Genetics and Molecular Research

Study Further:

Panobinostat is an experimental drug developed by Novartis – a pharmaceutical company. Although, it is still in its early stages of testing but has shown promising results in combination with cisplatin against mesothelioma.

“Cisplatin and panobinostat exposure of the cells for 24 h resulted in decreased cell survival. The combined treatment was found to be more effective,” Scientists noted.

This drug works by inhibiting the production of enzymes that enable mesothelioma cancer cells to grow at the molecular level. This process inhibits the spread of cancer cells.

After testing the combination against mesothelioma, scientists have found that mesothelioma cells were unable to survive in the laboratory setting but the healthy cells were mostly unaffected.

The same combination has also been tested successfully for other cancers such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

Although the results were impressive but these are initial results and scientists are planning to enter into a next phase of research, i.e. research on animals.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive form of abnormal growth of cells/tissues from the mesothelial surfaces of the pleura. This is a form of cancer with poor prognosis and is a therapeutic challenge for researchers as it always recurs locally.

Surgery such as pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) or extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a well accepted form of therapeutic strategy for MPM.

Radiotherapy is also widely used to treat MPM but this needs more research. Moreover, postoperative radiation therapy is also a matter of further research. Research is also required on the thinking that radiation therapy is palliative therapy for MPM. Further research is also needed on the role of prophylactic radiation therapy as interventionist treatment.